Thursday, April 24, 2014

The tragedy of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster took place almost
three years ago. Since then, radiation has forced thousands out of their
homes and led to the deaths of many. It took great effort to prevent
the ultimate meltdown of the plant – but are the after effects
completely gone? Tokyo says yes; it also claims the government is doing
everything it can for those who suffered in the disaster. However,
disturbing facts sometimes rise to the surface. To shed a bit of light
on the mystery of the Fukushima aftermath, Sophie Shevardnadze talks to
the former mayor of one of the disaster-struck cities. Katsutaka Idogawa
is on SophieCo today.

Follow @SophieCo_RTSophie Shevardnadze:Mr. Idogawa, welcome to the
program. Your town of Futaba was heavily dependent on cash coming in
from the nuclear reactors and you yourself approved building more
reactors. Did you believe back then, that something could go wrong?Katsutaka Idogawa: Yes, I suspected it might, but I didn’t expect an accident of such proportions.

SS:You’ve said before that you knew right away
that the government, that TEPCO – the plant’s operator, would lie about
the consequences of the accident at Fukushima. When did you lose trust
in the authorities? KI: This was even before the accident, when I first
came to see the management of the power plant. I asked them about
potential accidents at a nuclear power plant, pretending I didn’t know
anything about it, and it turned out they were unable to answer many of
my questions. Frankly, that’s when it first crossed my mind that their
management didn’t have a contingency plan. It was then that I realized
the facility could be dangerous.

SS:March 11, 2011 - the day the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan...where were you that day? KI: I wasn’t in Futaba that day, but I was near. I went to a nearby town on business. That’s where I was when the earthquake hit.

SS: What did you see around you? KI: As for the aftermath of the earthquake, there
were no destroyed buildings or water pipes ripped out of the ground in
the town where I was. But I saw all that on my way back to Futaba. As
soon as it happened, I jumped into my car and drove to Futaba. I managed
to get there before the bigger tsunami came. It was only later that I
realized that I escaped the water...

SS:When a catastrophe of this scale happens, I
understand that it is very difficult to control your emotions, it is
difficult to get a hold of yourself, take any action. What were your
first actions? KI: The earthquake was very strong. I just kept thinking, “If it’s that
strong, what will happen to the power plant? What if the reactor is
damaged? What if the water leaks? What will the city do? What am I to do
as mayor?

SS:I can only imagine how much worry you felt at that moment. Do you remember what you did right after the disaster hit? KI: It took me 20-30 minutes to get back to my
office in Futaba. There was a traffic jam, so I chose an alternative
route along the coast. At that moment I wasn’t thinking about anything
except the fact that I had to get back as soon as possible. I heard a
tsunami warning on my car radio. Tsunami waves had never been higher
than 60 cm before. I thought that even if it’s big, the wave would be
about 6 meters at most. I had no idea the road I was on could be washed
away by the tsunami. I got lucky. The tsunami came after I drove off
that road and up the mountains. I got to my office in Futaba and started
checking for damage. I walked around every floor, and on the 4th floor I
looked out the window. Usually you couldn’t see the sea from there, but
that time I could see it just 300-500 meters away. It was a truly
terrifying sight. I had all these thoughts swirling in my head: “What
should I do? How to evacuate people? Where do we run? How do we save
ourselves?” Also, I realized that the power plant would be damaged, and I
didn’t know what to do about it. Looking back, I think I didn’t deal
with the crisis well enough. I think I didn’t ask myself enough
questions.

SS:As I understand, you gave orders to evacuate your city right away? KI: Yes. I didn’t sleep at all that night. I was
watching TV, since it was the only source of information. I kept
thinking what to do with radiation, how to inform and evacuate the
people. Mobile phones didn’t work because there was no signal, so radio
was the only way. On the morning of March 12, I announced an emergency
evacuation. I assumed radiation would not reach the mountains and we
would be safe if we left the city. I told the people to go to Kawamata, a
town 50 km away. There’s just one road that goes there, and it was
packed with cars. Later, I learned that not all the Futaba residents
heard my announcement. I feel guilty about that. Back then, I believed
that it would be safe to go to Kawamata, which was further away from the
plant than the government-recommended 10-20 km. Later, I found out that
Fukushima Prefecture hadn’t given me all the information in a timely
fashion. And now the government isn’t taking any steps to ensure
people’s safety from radiation and isn’t monitoring the implementation
of evacuation procedures.

SS:You decided to evacuate people from Futaba
as far as possible without consulting anybody - so you completely
assumed responsibility? KI: Our city always had an emergency plan in case of
a fire or an accident at the plant. Every year, we had special drills
in case there was a fire at the plant. I think it’s the central
government and the Fukushima Prefecture authorities that bear the most
responsibility for what happened. As mayor, it is my responsibility to
take care of the people of Futaba. At that time, I had no time to get
advice. I tried talking to the prefecture authorities but there was
absolute chaos. It was impossible to get advice or hold a meeting. So I
chose to act on my own, and I decided to start with evacuating the
people as far from the radiation as possible.

SS:Your town is moving to a new location, to
the neighboring city of Iwaki. Is it safe there? Do you see this as a
new start for the people? KI: I’d like to show you a table with radiation
levels around Chernobyl. Radiation levels around Fukushima are four
times higher than in Chernobyl, so I think it’s too early for people to
come back to Fukushima Prefecture. Here you can see radiation levels in
our region, Tohoku. This is ground zero, and the radiation radius is
50-100km, even 200km in fact. Fukushima Prefecture is at the very
center. The city of Iwaki, where Futaba citizens moved, is also in
Fukushima Prefecture. It is by no means safe, no matter what the
government says. Exposing people to the current levels of radiation in
Fukushima is a violation of human rights. It’s terrible.

SS:Evacuation advisories are being lifted for
some cities in the Fukushima area, but you’re saying that the government
is allowing this, despite the danger of radiation? KI: Fukushima Prefecture has launched the Come Home
campaign. In many cases, evacuees are forced to return. Here is a map of
Fukushima Prefecture, with areas hit by radiation highlighted in
yellow, and you can see that the color covers almost the entire map. Air
contamination decreased a little, but soil contamination remains the
same. And there are still about two million people living in the
prefecture, who have all sorts of medical issues. The authorities claim
this has nothing to do with the fallout. I demanded that the authorities
substantiate their claim in writing but they ignored my request. There
are some terrible things going on in Fukushima. I remember feeling so
deeply for the victims of the Chernobyl tragedy that I could barely hold
back the tears whenever I heard any reports on it. And now that a
similar tragedy happened in Fukushima, the biggest problem is that there
is no one to help us. They say it’s safe to go back. But we must not
forget the lessons of Chernobyl. We must protect our children. I talked
to local authorities in different places in Fukushima, but no one would
listen to me. They believe what the government says, while in reality
the radiation is still there. This is killing children. They die of
heart conditions, asthma, leukemia, thyroiditis…Lots of kids are
extremely exhausted after school; others are simply unable to attend PE
classes. But the authorities still hide the truth from us, and I don’t
know why. Don’t they have children of their own? It hurts so much to
know they can’t protect our children.

SS:I understand that many children who have
been evacuated are now living in the Fukushima district again; new
schools have opened for these children, and you say they are facing
radiation there…Is anything being done to help the children affected by
the nuclear fallout? KI: Officially, both the central government and the
prefecture authorities say there is no radiation. They’re not doing
anything, and they’re not going to do anything. They say Fukushima
Prefecture is safe, and that’s why nobody’s working to evacuate
children, move them elsewhere. We’re not even allowed to discuss this.

SS:So after the tragedy, the government wanted
to build nuclear waste storage facilities on the territory of Futaba.
You were against that, but now, as I understand, these facilities are
going to be built after all. Do you fear that that will prevent
residents from ever returning to their town? KI: Media report it as the final decision has been
made. But that’s not true. The problem is with the decision-making
process. That’s why I keep saying no. The central government makes all
the decisions by itself the way it pleases. It ignores the victims.
Actually, we have a rule in our country saying that decisions can’t be
made without taking people’s opinion into consideration, but the
government ignores this rule and just does everything the way they see
fit. After all, this matter is up to landowners. Unless they agree,
nothing can happen. That’s how things work in Japan. And even though
there’s been much speculation, nobody has talked to landowners yet. So
media reports suggesting that the final decision has been made are
premature. In reality, nothing has been decided. It is not clear at this
point what will happen. All we know right now is that there will be
repositories built and that land will be nationalized. Radiation is a
big problem today but even this problem hasn’t been solved yet. Without
consulting with us, with the people, that is, Fukushima Prefecture
announced that people will be relocated from the prefecture for 30
years, but they failed to keep this promise as well. It’s all very
unreasonable. All the unpopular decisions were made without us. That’s
why I’ve been saying no all the time.

SS: In the beginning of the program you touched
upon the inability of TEPCO to manage the situation at the nuclear
plant. They have been struggling to contain the situation for over three
years now. Why are they failing? KI: That’s the way TEPCO works. The problem is with
its structure. People working at the headquarters are in privileged
conditions, but those working in the field work in very difficult
conditions. That’s the way it was even before the accident. That’s how
this company works. When the accident happened, TEPCO couldn’t give us
or its own employees the names of the people responsible for the
accident. They couldn’t do that because the company doesn’t have real
professionals.Even before the accident, I would sometimes go to their
office as mayor, ask them a lot of questions: “Do you train your
personnel? Is everything okay? Is there any chance that your old
equipment may fail?” In response, they only gave me a lot of nice words.
But they didn’t take any practical steps; they hardly ever did
anything. TEPCO thinks too high of itself, delegating almost everything
to subcontractors. That’s why, when something happens, there’s nobody to
be held accountable. In addition, the company doesn’t follow the
situation on the ground. Even today, we received a report saying that
they made a mistake and used the wrong pump, and as a result
contaminated water ended up in a wrong place. As for the restoration of
the city, I am really concerned about the future of my hometown, the
future of Futaba.

SS:Now, Japan’s homeless are among those
recruited to take part in the major cleanup - are they a viable
workforce in this case? Is this because there’s a lack of qualified
workers, or because those people are considered sort of ‘disposable?' Is
this even true? KI: Unfortunately, it’s true. If you use workers on a
one-off basis, you don’t need to watch radiation; you don’t need to
care about their health. We must respect people, care about them. When
talking about the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Prime Minister Abe likes to
talk about Japanese hospitality, and he uses this Japanese word
“omotenashi,” which literally means that you should treat people with an
open heart. But we don’t see that in our situation. While Prime
Minister Noda was preoccupied with self-promotion, authorities started
caring less about people who worked at the Fukushima plant. Their
equipment was getting worse; preparation was getting worse. So people
had to think about their safety first. That’s why those who understood
the real danger of radiation began to quit. Now we have unprofessional
people working there. They don’t really understand what they’re doing.
That’s the kind of people who use the wrong pump, who make mistakes like
that. I’m particularly concerned about their leaders. It seems to me
their crew leaders aren’t real professionals. They don’t know what
they’re doing. I’m really ashamed for my country, but I have to speak
the truth for the sake of keeping our planet clean in the future.

SS:Does the fact that the government was
covering up the real scale of the disaster for so long have anything to
do with the traditional Japanese fear of losing face? KI: It’s just that they wanted to avoid responsibility.

SS:No, I understand, but why keep this quiet for so long? They didn’t tell the world how bad it really was - why is that? KI: There were some sad chapters in the history of
Japan. The same thing happened with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The
authorities lied to everyone. They said it was safe. They hid the truth.
That’s the situation we are living in. It’s not just Fukushima. Japan
has some dark history. This is a sort of a sacrifice to the past.

SS:The United Nations report on the radiation
fallout from Fukushima says no radiation-related deaths or acute
diseases have been observed among the workers and general public exposed
- so it’s not that dangerous after all? Or is there not enough
information available to make proper assessments? What do you think? KI: This report is completely false. The report was
made by a representative of Japan – Professor Hayano. Representing
Japan, he lied to the whole world. When I was mayor, I knew many people
who died from a heart attack, and then there were many people in
Fukushima who died suddenly, even among young people. It’s a real shame
that the authorities hide the truth from the whole world, from the UN.
We need to admit that actually many people are dying. We are not allowed
to say that, but TEPCO employees also are dying. But they keep mum
about it.

SS: Do you have an estimate of casualties? KI: Today I don’t have the numbers with me.

SS:Mr. Idogawa, we only need an estimate, just to understand the scale of the tragedy you’re talking about. KI: It’s a huge responsibility to give specific
numbers. It’s hard for me, because I haven’t studied this matter
personally. But it’s not just one or two people. We’re talking about ten
to twenty people who died this way.

SS:You say that despite the Fukushima disaster,
Japan is planning to build more nuclear reactors, eventually satisfying
at least half of its energy needs with nuclear energy. Obviously you’re
against that - but Japan really has no other choice in terms of energy,
does it? KI: Yes, it has. Japan has plenty of rivers, but
hydro energy is not used at all. Why? Because it’s not as profitable for
big companies. Actually, we can provide electricity for a large number
of people even with limited investment, without taxes. Just use gravity,
and we may have so much energy that there’ll be no need for nuclear
plants anymore. And we also need to change our laws. There are many laws
in Japan, perhaps too many. There are laws about rivers and the ways
they’re used. We could change laws regarding agricultural water use and
start using rivers to produce electricity. Changing just this law alone
will allow us to produce a lot of energy. We can solve the problem by
using natural energy, without contaminating our planet. But this does
not appeal to big companies, because you don’t need big investments, you
don’t need to build big power plants. It’s not that profitable for
investors, for capitalists. But people in Japan begin to realize that we
need to avert nuclear disasters, so 60-70 percent of the population are
in favor of using natural energy. It took us a long time, but one day
we’ll follow the example of Europe, of Germany.

SS:Have you personally felt the consequences of the catastrophe? Has your health been affected? KI: I now get exhausted quickly, it’s harder to
speak, I often get colds. My eyesight worsened. I have a cataract. My
stomach hurts. My skin is very dry. I have muscular weakness in
different parts of my body. These are the consequences of the
catastrophe.

SS:Do you receive any treatment as a victim? KI: No, I’m not getting any treatment right now.
Actually, there’s no place I could go for help. I now live in Saitama.
The nearest hospital refused to treat me. So I’m trying to restore my
health through nutrition.